National Alliance on Mental Illness
page printed from NAMI Kansas
 

Programs

All NAMI Kansas programs are sponsored by members and generous donors.

Education and Support programs are FREE FOR PARTICIPANTS.

Family-to-Family Education Program
Family-to-Family (F2F) is a 12-week course for family members and caregivers of individuals with severe brain disorders (mental illnesses). The course is taught by trained family members.

The F2F curriculum provides current information about schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder (manic depression), panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality disorder, and co-occurring brain disorders and addictive disorders.  It includes information about medications, effective treatments, communication techniques, handling crises, locating community supports, and advocacy.

Click here for a class schedule.

Click here for an application to take the Family-to-Family class

Click here for an application to become a Family-to-Family instructor

In Our Own Voice: Living with Mental Illness - Speakers Bureau
In Our Own Voice (IOOV) is a public education program in which two trained speakers share compelling personal stories about living with mental illness.  Speakers challenge common beliefs about mental illness by sharing their individual experiences of recovery and transformation.

Throughout the IOOV presentation, audience participation is encouraged.  The more audience members become involved, the closer they come to understanding brain disorders and recovery.

IOOV presentations are given to consumer groups, students, law enforcement officials, educators, providers, faith community members, politicians, professionals, inmates, and interested civic groups.

To request a presentation, please call (800) 539-2660 or email info@namikansas.org.

Click here for an application to become an In Our Own Voice presenter.

Peer-to-Peer: NAMI's Recovery Curriculum
Peer-to-Peer (P2P) is an experiential learning program for people with any serious mental illness who are interested in establishing and maintaining their wellness and recovery.  Each P2P class consists of ten two-hour units and is taught by a team of three trained "mentors" who are personally experienced at living in recovery.       

Participants come away from the course with a binder of hand-out materials, as well as many other tangible resources: an advance directive, a relapse prevention plan, mindfulness exercises to help focus and calm thinking, and skills for working with providers and the general public.

Click here to find P2P classes in your area

NAMI Basics
NAMI Basics is a six-week education program for parents and other caregivers of children and adolescents living with mental illnesses.  Classes are taught by trained teachers who are the parent or other caregivers of individuals who developed the symptoms of mental illness before the age of 13.  The course gives current information about Attention Deficit Disorder, Major Depression, Bipolar Disorder, Conduct Disorder, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Anxiety Disorders, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Childhood Schizophrenia and Substance Abuse Disorders. Basics covers current research related to the biology of mental illness and the evidence-based, most effective treatment strategies available, including medications used to treat mental illness in children and adolescents; specific workshops to learn problem solving, listening and communication skills; examples of strategies that have been found helpful in handling challenging behaviors in children and adolescents and information about the systems that are major players in the lives of children and adolescents with mental illness – the school system and the mental health system.  The class is currently being offered in Wichita, Hutchinson, Topeka, Kansas City and Emporia. Please contact the NAMI Kansas office for scheduled dates, times and locations.

Click here for an application to take the NAMI Basics class

Click here for an application to become a NAMI Basics instructor

NAMI Connection Recovery Support Groups
NAMI Connection is a recovery support group program for adults living with mental illness that is expanding in communities throughout the country. These groups provide a place that offers respect, understanding, encouragement, and hope.  Support groups are confidential, and open to all adults with mental illness, regardless of diagnosis. 

In Connection groups, people learn from each others’ experiences, share coping strategies, and offer each other encouragement and understanding.

Click here to find a local Connection group

Other Support Groups
Trained volunteers in local NAMI Affiliates offer support groups for family members and consumers in several Kansas communities, including veteran-only support groups at 2 VA Hospitals.

Click here for a listing of support groups in Kansas.  Group information is subject to change.  Contact the local group or NAMI Kansas by phone or e-mail to verify the current meeting schedule.

Click here for an application to become a Family Support Group facilitator

Online discussion groups on several different topics are supported by NAMI and can be accessed by clicking here

Hearts & Minds
The NAMI Hearts & Minds program is an interactive, educational initiative promoting the idea of wellness in both mind and body. Wellness is an ongoing process of learning how to make choices that support a more successful, healthy life.

The Hearts & Minds program focuses on smoking cessation, healthy diet, and exercise as part of a total wellness program.

Crisis Intervention Teams (CIT)
Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs represent a local partnership between law enforcement agencies, mental health providers, and consumer and family organizations with two primary objectives: public safety and the diversion of mental health consumers from the criminal justice system and into treatment.

NAMI Kansas is excited to be a part of the CIT movement in Kansas.  CIT programs are designed to educate and prepare police officers and other public safety personnel to respond effectively and appropriately to people experiencing a mental health crisis. 

There are currently five CIT programs (Lyon, Johnson, Reno, Sedgwick and Shawnee counties) operating in Kansas.  Others are being organized.  Click here for more information about CIT and a link to a listing of local programs.

Sharing Hope
NAMI understands that many people seek help from the clergy more frequently than from other professionals, and mental health issues are no exception. Sharing Hope: Understanding Mental Health, is a 60-minute interactive presentation delivered by a team (including a consumer, family member and a faith leader), and targeted primarily toward African American audiences. This presentation decreases stigma towards mental illness, increases awareness of mental health recovery, and introduces NAMI education and support programs.  Contact the NAMI Kansas office to bring Sharing Hope to your community.  Click here for more information. 

Provider Education
The NAMI Provider Education Program is a 10-week course that presents a penetrating, subjective view of family and consumer experiences with serious mental illness to line staff at public agencies who work directly with people with severe and persistent brain disorders. The course helps providers realize the hardships that families and consumers endure and to appreciate the courage and persistence it takes to live with and recover from mental illness.

Provider Education is a program that is available in Kansas, though it is not regularly utilized.  For more information, please call (800) 539-2660 or email info@namikansas.org.

Parents and Teachers as Allies
Parents and Teachers as Allies is an in-service mental health education program designed for teachers, administrators, school health professionals, parents and others in the school community. 
This two-hour program focuses on helping participants better understand the early warning signs of mental illnesses and the importance of early intervention. Lived experiences and communication strategies are also shared to assist families and schools in productive dialogue. 

Parents and Teachers as Allies is not currently being implemented in Kansas.  Please contact NAMI Kansas if you are interested in learning more about how to get this program established here.

Other Specialized NAMI Links

NAMI FaithNet  A place where NAMI and communities of faith intersect

Veterans Resource Center  Resources for vets and active duty personnel, and their family, friends, and advocates

Child and Adolescent Action Center  Information for family members of children and teens with a mental illness

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